Bedford, PA – Over 60 beef producers representing three states within the Northeast region, Maine to Virginia, came together on April 19-20, 2024, for the Northeast Beef Producer Workshop hosted by the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, a subcontractor to the Beef Checkoff, in partnership with the New York Beef Council and with funding support from Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement.
The day and a half event kicked off with regional farm tours hosted by Tamberlane Farm and D&R Cattle, both located near Canandaigua Lake in New York. Producers then had the opportunity to network further during a curated beef dinner at Nolan’s on Canandaigua Lake. which featured beef four ways.
The workshop provided regional beef producers with insights surrounding consumer trends, the importance of the Northeast Beef Directory as a resource for consumers to locate beef producers selling direct to consumers, and more. Attendees had the opportunity to engage staff from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board during the Beef Checkoff Academy training, which taught producers about the basics of the Beef Checkoff, the Beef Checkoff funding process, and current Beef Checkoff funded projects.
The highlight of the workshop was an engaging keynote discussion with Kendall Ballantine, first-generation farmer, and owner of Marketing for Farmers. Kendall works to support farmers looking to build financial sustainability into their businesses.
Kendall shared, “It was such a pleasure getting into a room with so many producers passionate about the cattle and beef industry. It is not always easy to get off the farm, but the networking and learning opportunities provided by the Northeast Beef Producer Workshop were invaluable.”
The majority of producers who participated in the workshop are direct marketing beef to consumers, whether through an on-farm store, utilizing e-commerce, retail/foodservice networks, etc. The workshop also highlighted the benefit the Northeast Beef Directory provides to both regional beef producers and consumers, alike.
The Directory is a robust online resource designed to help connect Northeast-based families with local beef markets and farmers selling beef directly. There are currently more than 250 regional farms as part of the Directory, representing all 12 Northeast states, Maine to Virginia. In the past year, nearly 15% of website traffic to the NortheastBeef.org website is to the Directory and the state-specific farm listings.
The goal of this workshop was to better equip regional beef producers to have impactful interactions within their local communities, both on behalf of beef and for agriculture as a whole, while driving demand for beef. The NEBPI program looks forward to further engaging with these producers, as they serve as industry spokespeople.
Kaitlyn Swope, Director of Consumer Affairs with the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative shared, “It was wonderful to see such a diverse group of beef producers from across the Northeast region gather together to learn more about how they can promote, and ultimately sell more beef, beef through their local outreach efforts, all while networking with other producers who are doing similar things in other parts of the region.”
To learn more about the Northeast Beef Directory and/or to get your farm added visit NortheastBeef.org.
For more information about beef promotion in the Northeast region, visit www.nebpi.org/.
Stay connected with the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative Facebook and Instagram pages to catch up on how the Northeast region is actively seeking to promote beef.
For more information, visit NEBPI.org or DrivingDemandForBeef.com
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA Approval.
Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.
